Mr Jeevan Rai

Diploma Students

I come from Khotang, a hilly district in eastern Nepal. I did my Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Tribhuvan University. Right after my thesis defence, I joined Friends of Nature (FON), a local NGO working primarily on wildlife conservation and research.

The first project that I got to lead after joining FON was on small carnivores in Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale landscape in the Eastern mid-hills. We used camera traps to record the presence of small carnivores in our project area. We also interacted with locals on the status of small carnivores and conducted conservation camps at local schools.

At first, I was interested in canids. However, recently my research interest has been shifting to landscape ecology. Knowing which landscapes are more important for conservation can, in my opinion, help conservationist put the limited resource to maximum benefit.

With the course, apart from getting better at what I do, I expect to make some great friends. My future plan is to work on identifying important landscapes in Nepal, especially in the Eastern region and working with the community to ensure connectivity between them.